Speeding jeep kills 9 schoolchildren in eastern India

PATNA, India – Police in eastern India say a speeding jeep plowed through a group of schoolchildren crossing a road, killing nine and injuring 10 of them.

Police officer Vivek Kumar says the jeep first hit and injured two adult female pedestrians on Saturday. While trying to escape from the spot, it hit the children, who were leaving their school on the outskirts of Muzzafarpur, a town in Bihar state.

Kumar says the children range in age from 10 to 14.

He said the injured schoolchildren and women were taken to a nearby hospital, some of them in critical condition.

More than 110,000 people are killed annually in accidents on India's roads. Most crashes are attributed to reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles.